DVD Review: Chicago Fire Season 8

 

+++Minor Spoiler ahead+++

Season eight starts off where season seven ended, with everyone inside the mattress factory. That fire has a big impact on the season, both because of a character's death, (chances are most people reading this know who, but I will not spoil it) that reverberates throughout the season, but is also incorporated into another episode later in the season.

The show continues juggling storylines that so every character (even Capp this year) has major involvement in at least one episode. It also saw the return of Gabby for an episode, with Monica Raymund making a guest appearance. The big "One Chicago" crossover occurs early in the season, with a storyline about a weaponized bacteria that would be somewhat prophetic once Covid broke out. Then, later in the season, there is another crossover episode with just Chicago PD. The season was a bit shorter (just 20 episodes) because production was shut down early because of the pandemic. As a result, the show did not end on any real kind of cliffhanger. The season finale ended pretty much just like a normal episode but did leave one of the characters at a bit of a crossroads. 

Again, as has been the case with the past few season releases, the only extras are the Chicago Med and PD episodes that were part of the crossovers. There are no behind-the-scenes features or anything like that. So, unless you are completing a collection (or just really prefer physical media to streaming) there is no reason to get this on disc if you are a person who usually only gets the physical discs when there is a lot of bonus material to watch.

Overall, the season is very good. The show does a good job keeping the storylines entertaining and giving all the actors something to work with. The acting and writing continue to be very good, and there are definitely some emotional punches this season. So, if you have been a fan of the prior seasons of the show, it is definitely worth checking out.